William Ruto’s bid to succeed Uhuru Kenyatta was described as running into resistance from inside the president’s own circle, with succession politics, family interests and old alliances all shaping the pushback.
The original report said some people around Uhuru believed the deputy president might be dropped in favour of another candidate. That anxiety was said to be growing because of the 2013 and 2017 post-election understanding that Uhuru would back Ruto in the 2022 presidential race after completing his two terms.
Former president Daniel Moi was also said to have opposed the idea of Uhuru endorsing Ruto. According to the report, that position added to the pressure on the deputy president as he continued building support across the country ahead of 2022.
Ruto was portrayed as having strained relationships with former allies, including his former YK92 boss Cyrus Jirongo. The report said he had publicly attacked Jirongo at a rally, and that the same style of confrontation had unsettled people around Uhuru.
It also named several Kalenjin figures who were once useful to Ruto politically but were said to have fallen out with him, among them Mombasa-based investor David Langat, former MP Zakayo Cheruyoit and former Bomet governor Isaac Ruto. The report said critics viewed him as unforgiving and unwilling to keep political friendships.
Uhuru’s doubts were said to have become more visible when he told supporters in Nyeri that his choice of successor would surprise many. He also said he would play a central role in that decision and warned that those reading his silence as weakness would be shocked.
Inside the president’s camp, the fear was not only political. The report said the Kenyatta family, the Moi family and parts of the Mt Kenya elite worried that a Ruto administration could threaten their business interests and weaken the influence of established political families. Some in that circle were said to prefer Raila Odinga over Ruto if forced to choose.
At the same time, the report described a different mood among poorer voters in Central Kenya. They were said to admire Ruto’s rise from humble beginnings and to see him as a hustler who understood their frustrations. That support was linked to the belief that elite families had dominated wealth and power since independence in 1963.
The article also said Ruto had been building regional ties with leaders such as Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame. It suggested that as Uhuru entered the final years of his presidency, some East and Central African leaders were looking elsewhere for influence.
A member of the Mt Kenya Foundation was quoted rejecting the idea that Ruto fit into Kenya’s dynastic politics. The member used the Kikuyu saying, “Bururi ni wa andu atatu: njamba, gitonga na muthamaki,” and argued that being brave and wealthy was not enough to qualify someone for the presidency.
The report said the political establishment feared Ruto because of his resilience and his ability to survive repeated succession battles. It cited his role in the 2013 realignment, when he opposed support for Musalia Mudavadi and helped shape the path that delivered power to Uhuru. It also said he had delivered the Rift Valley vote to Raila Odinga in 2007.
Another turning point mentioned in the article was the March 9 handshake between Uhuru and Raila. The report interpreted that move as a blow to Ruto’s succession strategy, saying he had planned to consolidate Jubilee’s strength in Parliament and the Senate before weakening the opposition coalition.
The article also referred to a 2015 meeting at the Kenyatta-owned Blue Post Hotel in Thika, where Mt Kenya Foundation members were said to have hosted some of Ruto’s close allies to understand his political ambition. One of Ruto’s associates was quoted saying he knew Kikuyus could not elect him and only wanted to make money before seeking votes elsewhere.
It further said Ruto opposed a referendum push for new political seats, including a prime minister and two deputies, because it would dilute the presidency. The report added that some in Uhuru’s camp believed the handshake with Raila was meant to disrupt Ruto’s succession plan.
The piece ended by contrasting elite fears with Ruto’s public image among supporters, who saw him as a political operator with deep grassroots appeal. It also repeated claims about state money and weekly allocations to top offices, including a reference to Sh6 million a week during the Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga years, said to have come through the NIS.
Weekly Citizen
